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Was this Blackbeard’s sword?
By Brett Michael Dykes (Yahoo News)
[With Comments below by Rodney Hilton Brown]
By Brett Michael Dykes brett Michael Dykes – Fri Jan 14, 4:56 pm ET
Is this the hilt of Blackbeard's sword?
It's one of the latest finds aboard the remains of the ship the Queen Anne's Revenge, known at one time to be the flagship of Edward Teach, a.k.a. Blackbeard. The vessel ran aground on a North Carolina sandbar in 1718 and was abandoned; modern archaeologists have been excavating the shipwreck for more than a decade. The design and ornamentation of this newest discovery have led the researchers to believe it likely belonged to the notorious pirate himself.
Click image to see Blackbeard's recovered ornaments
NC Department of Cultural Resources
An imposing figure to begin with, according to historians, Blackbeard cultivated a ferocious appearance to seem even more menacing: a long dark beard, numerous knives, swords and pistols strapped to his chest -- even lighted fuses in his hair. In May of 1718, he used the ship to blockade the port of Charleston, S.C., and effectively hold the city hostage until he collected a considerable ransom.
[Photos: Explorers discover massive cave with room for jungle, skyscrapers]
He was eventually killed in battle off North Carolina by the Royal Navy, his head suspended from a naval sloop to warn other pirates.
[Discovery: One of the earliest photos of people]
Photos courtesy of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. For more pirate finds, visit the department's dedicated website, the Queen Anne's Revenge Shipwreck Project.
[Comments below by Rodney Hilton Brown]
Unfortunately, this is not Blackbeard's sword and the "authorities" should know that. FIRST, from a historical perspective, Blackbeard left the ship and he would not have left his personal weapons behind. SECOND, this sword hilt is not a naval cutlass of any kind, but rather a diminutive hunting sword, probably French by the design. THIRD, the design of the hilt looks like it more likely dates to 1740 to 1780, rather than the much earlier date of the ship's sinking, and LAST, Blackbeard was a giant size man, especially for his time. I bet he couldn't even have gotten all 5 of his big strong fingers around this diminutive grip, whose small delicate brass quillions (cross guard) would have hardly have protected anybody from the slash of a heavy steel cutlass blade. In reality, if a pirate did capture such a gentleman's hunting sword as booty, the first thing he might do is break the blade in half, re-sharpen the blade and use it as an extra belt knife. Rodney
By Brett Michael Dykes (Yahoo News)
[With Comments below by Rodney Hilton Brown]
By Brett Michael Dykes brett Michael Dykes – Fri Jan 14, 4:56 pm ET
Is this the hilt of Blackbeard's sword?
It's one of the latest finds aboard the remains of the ship the Queen Anne's Revenge, known at one time to be the flagship of Edward Teach, a.k.a. Blackbeard. The vessel ran aground on a North Carolina sandbar in 1718 and was abandoned; modern archaeologists have been excavating the shipwreck for more than a decade. The design and ornamentation of this newest discovery have led the researchers to believe it likely belonged to the notorious pirate himself.
Click image to see Blackbeard's recovered ornaments
NC Department of Cultural Resources
An imposing figure to begin with, according to historians, Blackbeard cultivated a ferocious appearance to seem even more menacing: a long dark beard, numerous knives, swords and pistols strapped to his chest -- even lighted fuses in his hair. In May of 1718, he used the ship to blockade the port of Charleston, S.C., and effectively hold the city hostage until he collected a considerable ransom.
[Photos: Explorers discover massive cave with room for jungle, skyscrapers]
He was eventually killed in battle off North Carolina by the Royal Navy, his head suspended from a naval sloop to warn other pirates.
[Discovery: One of the earliest photos of people]
Photos courtesy of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. For more pirate finds, visit the department's dedicated website, the Queen Anne's Revenge Shipwreck Project.
[Comments below by Rodney Hilton Brown]
Unfortunately, this is not Blackbeard's sword and the "authorities" should know that. FIRST, from a historical perspective, Blackbeard left the ship and he would not have left his personal weapons behind. SECOND, this sword hilt is not a naval cutlass of any kind, but rather a diminutive hunting sword, probably French by the design. THIRD, the design of the hilt looks like it more likely dates to 1740 to 1780, rather than the much earlier date of the ship's sinking, and LAST, Blackbeard was a giant size man, especially for his time. I bet he couldn't even have gotten all 5 of his big strong fingers around this diminutive grip, whose small delicate brass quillions (cross guard) would have hardly have protected anybody from the slash of a heavy steel cutlass blade. In reality, if a pirate did capture such a gentleman's hunting sword as booty, the first thing he might do is break the blade in half, re-sharpen the blade and use it as an extra belt knife. Rodney
